Apachi Village Lake Zurich

New for Summer 2019 is Apachi Village in Lake Zurich, our beloved Apachi program for preschoolers! Apachi Village Day Camp is big on fun in a nurturing environment where emerging independence is fostered in our youngest campers. With our focus solely on 3 and 4-year olds, everything is sized just right for your little one with all age-appropriate activities taking place at Lake County JCC in Lake Zurich. Easy in, easy out carpool lines help ease the transition and make drop off and pick-up a breeze.

Two outdoor swimming pools, sprawling green spaces, a playground, and indoor, air-conditioned classrooms are perfect places to take the first step into Apachi J Camp. Our campers explore, sing and dance, experience new activities and create new friendships lasting summer after summer.

Apachi Village In Action

Jamee Smith

Director, Apachi Village Lake Zurich

Jamee Smith has been with Apachi J Camp for 25 years and every year she still counts down the days until camp begins. She began as a counselor and quickly realized she wanted to be a part of Apachi J Camp year-round. Jamee feels lucky to be the Director of Apachi Village Lake Zurich because not only does she see all the big smiles on campers’ faces each day, she also gets to watch her campers and staff grow and change over the course of each summer. She is excited for Apachi Village Lake Zurich’s first summer and Jamee can’t wait to watch our youngest campers explore and experience camp, often for the first time.

Jamee holds a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Kansas and a Master’s degree in Teaching from National Louis University. When she is not at work, she loves spending time with her family, walking her dog, Jack, listening to music, knitting, reading, and exercising.

Friendship requests

Our program is specially tailored for our youngest campers. Campers are placed in small groups with caring, nurturing counselors. Together they participate in sports, games, swimming, arts and crafts, and other special activities.

American Red Cross Swim Program

Campers are taught to swim at Apachi Village Lake Zurich using the American Red Cross’ Learn-to-Swim program, which focuses on building skills one step at a time. By giving campers the opportunity to master one element before moving on to the next, it makes it easy to build confidence in the water. Safety is our priority and all members of our Aquatics staff are American Red Cross certified lifeguards with CPR training for the professional rescuer.

Testing, Placement and Progress Reports

Campers are tested at the beginning of summer and placed in an appropriate swim level based on their skills. They pass through levels based on both formal and informal testing. Progress reports are sent home during the summer with a summary of skills your child is working on and those already mastered.

Convenient carpool drop-off and pick-up

Campers carpool to and from camp using our convenient carpool lanes. To make camp pick-up as efficient as possible, we assign each car or carpool a number that we can use to quickly match campers with their rides. Sweet, simple and safe! All campers in carpools are escorted to and from their cars by our staff.

Food

Please send along a sack lunch that we’ll refrigerate. Don’t forget to write your camper’s name on the bag. Plus we have kid-friendly snacks every day!

Food allergies

Safety and inclusion are top priorities at JCC Chicago Day Camps. Our camps are committed to being allergy-safe. While our camps are not allergen-free, we strive to make our camp environments as safe as possible for children with food allergies using a customized approach and working closely with each family to develop an action plan for the child. More information can be found here.

Immunizations & Health Forms

To participate in camp, campers must have a completed health form signed by a physician on file. We also require documentation of immunizations.

Share Your Apachi Love

Apachi is very special and we want to thank you for telling your friends and family about camp. Receive $75 off your camp fee for each NEW camper that registers for Apachi and lists you as their referral source!

Please Note: Ages and grades listed below are as of the 2019-20 school year.

3-4 Year-Olds

Whatever number of days you are looking for, our 3 year-old program introduces campers to the fun of camp plus twice a week swim instruction. Within small groups, guided by mature, experienced counselors, kids build confidence, make friends and have fun. You and your child will feel the reassurance you need for a comfortable and successful first camp experience.

JCC Chicago is a non-profit organization inspired by Jewish values, bridging traditions and generations to create a more vibrant, connected community. JCC is a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community.